1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to portable shelter framing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to portable shelter framing systems that are configured to be assembled without the use of tools.
2. Background and Description of Related Art
Portable shelters, such as outdoor gazebos, are useful for a myriad of different applications. For example, portable gazebos are often used for outdoor parties, such as backyard cookouts or tailgate parties at various sporting events. Because the portable gazebos are at least partially enclosed, a food serving table or tables are often placed inside of the gazebo to protect the food being served at the event from sunlight, rain, and/or insects. Also, dining tables may be arranged underneath the portable gazebo so that attendees at the party may remain cooler by being shaded from direct sunlight. Because portable gazebos are typically only used for a certain duration of time (e.g., during a tailgate party or backyard party) and/or are often set up in a remote, temporary location (e.g., in the parking lot of a stadium), it is often necessary to assemble and disassemble the portable structure each time that it is utilized. In addition, even if the portable shelter is used in the backyard of the owner thereof, it still is often desirable to assemble and disassemble the portable structure each time that it is utilized in order to protect it from damage due to the elements of the outdoor environment (e.g., wind, rain, snow, etc.). As such, it is highly preferable that such portable shelters can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled so that the users thereof are not spending an inordinate amount of time setting up for their events.
Although, conventional portable shelters often require a great deal of time to assemble and disassemble because they include a large collection of constituent components that must be fastened together using a plurality of different tools. Not only is the assembly of these conventional portable shelters time consuming, but it is also inconvenient, the users of such shelters are required to carry around a variety of different tools each time they want to assemble their portable shelter in a remote location. Also, if they accidently forget to bring one of the tools that is necessary to assemble the portable shelter, they may be precluded from assembling the shelter at all.
Therefore, what is needed is a portable shelter framing system that can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled each time that it is used. Also, a portable shelter framing system is needed that is capable of being assembled and disassembled without the use of any tools. In addition, a portable shelter framing system is needed that is capable of being disassembled into a plurality of compact components that do not occupy a large amount of space when the portable shelter is transported and stored.